Possible candidate for Roswell's "Captain Armstrong"?

So, I got to thinking...if the witnesses really did see this guy (a red-headed military guy who they believed to be a captain), chances are (if we accept the idea of a working group for the subject of UFOs), he was likely attached to this group.

Now, granted, this is all highly speculative, so I'm putting it out there ONLY as a "what if?". So far, I've seen nothing to indicate that such men were hiding behind false identities, so I looked for anyone named "Armstrong" who may have been the kind of guy to be involved with such a group.

This is actually a pretty hard bit of criteria to meet. The kind of guy who is on a first name basis with the President and most cabinet members. A guy who has gone to ivy league schools. The kind of guy who has regular correspondence with highly placed intelligence officials.

Meet Hamilton Fish Armstrong.



Can't tell if he had red hair (can't find a single color photo), but then, dye isn't out of the question. Why? Because this guy was most likely a spy. His credentials are PERFECT for it...and not just a field one, but someone who plans the missions.

en.wikipedia.org...

Member of the elite, a founding member of the Council on Foreign Relations (and the editor of their journal for most of his life). This guy predicted WWII back in '33 in a published paper after interviewing Hitler (he was a journalist).

He received honorary degrees from Brown (1942), Yale (1957), Basel (1960), Princeton (1961), Columbia (1963), and Harvard (1963).

He was decorated by Serbia, Romania, Czechoslovakia, France, and the United Kingdom.

He regularly met with Presidents, and had a lot of correspondence with Allen Dulles (who would later become the founding father of the CIA). His resume' would make James Bond feel inadequate. So, is this our guy? Does "Captain Armstrong" even exist? Who knows, but it is a pretty tidy coincidence. He would certainly be the kind of guy involved.

So, any connection to UFOs?

Yep...

By secret Executive Memorandum NSC 5511 in 1954, President Eisenhower had commissioned the study group to 'EXAMINE ALL THE FACTS, EVIDENCE, LIES, AND DECEPTION AND DISCOVER THE TRUTH OF THE ALIEN QUESTION.' NSC 5412/2 was only a cover that had become necessary when the press began inquiring as to the purpose of regular meetings of such important men. The first meetings began in 1954 and were called the Quantico meetings because they met at the Quantico Marine Base. The study group was made up solely of 35 members of the Council on Foreign Relations' secret study group. Dr. Edward Teller was invited to participate. Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski was the study director for the first 18 months. Dr. Henry Kissinger was chosen as the group's study director for the second 18 months beginning in November 1955. Nelson Rockefeller was a frequent visitor during the study.

THE STUDY GROUP MEMBERS - Gordon Dean, Chairman; Dr. Henry Kissinger, Study Director; Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski, Study Director; Dr. Edward Teller; Maj. Gen. Richard C. Lindsay; Hanson W. Baldwin; Lloyd V. Berkner; Frank C. Nash; Paul H. Nitze; Charles P. Noyes; Frank Pace Jr.; James A. Perkins; Don K. Price; David Rockefeller; Oscar M. Ruebhausen; Lt. Gen. James M. Gavin; Caryl P. Haskins; James T. Hill, Jr.; Joseph E. Johnson; Mervin J. Kelly; Frank Altschul; Hamilton Fish Armstrong; Maj. Gen. James McCormack, Jr.; Robert R. Bowie; McGeorge Bundy; William A. M. Burden; John C. Campbell; Thomas K. Finletter; George S. Franklin, Jr.; I.I. Rabi; Roswell L. Gilpatric; N.E. Halaby; Gen. Walter Bedell Smith; Henry DeWolf Smyth; Shields Warren; Carroll L. Wilson; Arnold Wolfer

Again, all speculation, but intriguing enough, at least. This guy founded a group that shapes world policy. Having his name pop up is certainly at least a little eye-opening.

great digging gaz!

very interesting, he does fit the bill.. if someone lives in new jersey the could check this out...

findingaids.princeton.edu...

the hamilton fish armstrong papers,... we are talking pictures, diaries, scrapbooks memorabilia, etc

reply to post by Gazrok


Great work, I think this is a distinct possibility. How did Armstrong first get your attention?

reply to post by wtbengineer


I was going through the Roswell stuff, and recalling that 3 witnesses mention him, but they never found a Captain Armstrong at Roswell's base. So, I figure he was likely part of the group established in '42, assuming such a group even existed. I then assumed Armstrong is likely his actual name, as it would already have credentials, etc., and this was prior to any real big organized spy agencies.

So, my criteria was guy named Armstrong, military connections, highly placed, well-connected, and involved with some of the other people rumored to be involved. This guy fits the bill in every category.

reply to post by research100

if someone lives in new jersey the could check this out

Yep, I came across that too. In person, you could check, but couldn't find anything online. Granted, the red hair thing could simply be something he did to be memorable but deniable. (assuming he's our guy). Still, it'd be good to know. If it was red, it was darker.

Intel was a bit haphazard back then, so even membership in the OSS is a bit hazy to nail down...but he certainly had everything they looked for (and a great cover), and is known to correspond with other known members.

reply to post by Gazrok


Yes, he does fit the bill. Pretty good detective work there. I'm going to have to look at this guy a little more in depth when I have the time.

reply to post by Gazrok


Nice piece of digging mate and it's certainly plausible. The really annoying part is though, I don't think many, if any, of the original witnesses are alive in order to verify your theory.

Well be has the ruddy, freckly face of a redhead....

Great piece of digging there Gaz , will be interesting to see if this scares up any more details from others. Sadly, I guess that whole generation has almost gone so might be a tad difficult to find any of his contemporaries. Michael Bentine, yes of the "Goons" and the "Potties", use to be a damned good source for checking out people from that era, his passing left quite a hole.

You can get access to viewing portraits (I assume self ?) in a reading room at Princetown University if you register and request here !

It also lists a box of pictures taken by Armstrong at Cape Canaveral on May 5/6 1958 - however I can't find any reference to that visit or significance in that day and it wasn't mentioned in any edition of the US Air Force Missileer around that date (which is Patrick AFB's daily newsletter / paper - as most official visits by anyone of any importance were). Not to say that it wasn't an unofficial visit.

Not sure his background really ties in with what you may expect - I can't find any specific military history or links to the scientific community - sure he was buddies with Allan Dulles but then there was a shared interest with his role at the Council on Foreign Relations.

I also believe the Wikipedia reference to his having been awarded a CBE may be incorrect as he doesn't appear on the listings I checked - haven't gone through the rest yet but suggest it may be worthwhile in order to pin some info on the name.

Edited to add I also think his inclusion on the study group would have been because of his background and expertise in foreign relations.

reply to post by chunder


Originally, most OSS agents were diplomats (like Armstrong), not military or scientific. Also, many were consultants or assets, vs. actual agents. As I said, this is all pretty theoretical, and may be nothing more than an interesting coincidence, but at least it's a possibility.

And not that he HAD to be OSS to be the guy in Roswell, he just certainly fits the criteria for it, at the time.

reply to post by Gazrok


Without checking (so my memory could be faulty) but didn't the references to Captain Armstrong refer to an Army uniformed officer ?

Can you give a link to the back story? Supposedly on MJ-12 commitee or where was he first mentioned?

As soon as you said Council on Foreign Relations i knew it had to be something. Those guys are in the know, and love pretending to be creepy. I got to meet a senator? who sat on that group and was very proud of it. He was super-creepy and you felt like he was on a power trip the whole time.

Photoshop!

Hehe....Photoshop can colour b&w photos, sometimes very accurately. So, as there are few UFO's around this week, hope someone has a spare 5 minutes to spare.

Strange thing, the photo you used in the opening post has a dark mustache, matching the hair colour, but a quick search turns up this photo.

mail.nysoclib.org...

Note the much lighter colouring of the mustache.

Yep, I saw that one too (the photo).

Without checking (so my memory could be faulty) but didn't the references to Captain Armstrong refer to an Army uniformed officer ?

You think it unreasonable that a highly placed spy (my assumption only) could wear an Army uniform, especially when issuing threats to civilians?

To the one asking for background on MJ-12....here you go.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Originally posted by Gazrok

You think it unreasonable that a highly placed spy (my assumption only) could wear an Army uniform, especially when issuing threats to civilians?

Firstly let me just say appreciate your efforts in attempting to identify "Captain Armstrong".

Secondly not unreasonable no, just that it would make more sense for it to have been Army personnel and I can't see any evidence that our man here was a "spy".

Absence of evidence and all that I know, pays to keep digging.

Found by chance an interesting alleged link between MJ12 and the CFR - in this ATS thread - dubious source but may also be a link worth following up.